2017 CB1100 EX First Ride Review

[Guth_imp]

The CB1100 engine has been this way since day one.

[VLJ_imp]

The CB1100 engine has been this way since day one.

Except for the new-for-'17 shortened inlets and altered timing of the first two cylinders.

[pdedse]

Glad you're happy with the new bike VLJ. Here's wishing you many, many more happy miles. My favorite photo is of the reading tree, although to be honest I'm not sure how much reading I'd get done at that particular spot — I'd probably have referred to it as the gazing tree in my case, lol.

What's interesting is that your review reads to me as if it were written about my 2013 model. Your ride experience mirrors my own. I've never been pitched from my seat or had the bike upset in ways that Ulvetanna has mentioned for that matter. You can see from the video I previously posted that what I've subjected the bike to and how it reacted (I didn't rush to change out my suspension afterwards because I didn't feel the need). I've never scraped the pegs for that matter either. I suppose I suck too, but then I've stated as such before.
alprider, I love that blue color — very nice!

Just to be clear for the record, it was VLJ who described those things, and I commented on them.

Glad you're happy with the new bike VLJ. Here's wishing you many, many more happy miles. My favorite photo is of the reading tree, although to be honest I'm not sure how much reading I'd get done at that particular spot — I'd probably have referred to it as the gazing tree in my case, lol.

What's interesting is that your review reads to me as if it were written about my 2013 model. Your ride experience mirrors my own. I've never been pitched from my seat or had the bike upset in ways that Ulvetanna has mentioned for that matter. You can see from the video I previously posted that what I've subjected the bike to and how it reacted (I didn't rush to change out my suspension afterwards because I didn't feel the need). I've never scraped the pegs for that matter either. I suppose I suck too, but then I've stated as such before.
alprider, I love that blue color — very nice!

That's because you ride in the ZONE, dude! Smooth.

That is what I was talking about, is that smooth riding can fix a lot of suspension shortcomings.

In fact we shouldn't call them shortcomings because a smooth rider can make a bike with ordinary components work very well. Dirt riding teaches us that.

But only to a point, and the new 2017 has increased the limits of outright sporting capability while making a good rider look and feel great.

I would like to hear the comments of someone who has traded a first-generation for the 2017 model, back-to-back, point for point.

I guess I might be that guy, we'll see.

I've scraped hard parts on my 2013. Not often and always, at least as I recall, it was on a hard right-hand turn with a dip the pavement at the apex, either for drainage or because of a steep incline after the turn. No, ALMOST always. There was a super-tight left-hand hairpin turn in Arkansas, just outside of Jasper, where I scraped the left peg (the least of my problems on that particular turn, but that's a story for another time).

I wound up tightening down the front suspension a bit on the uninformed theory that it would keep the front end from dipping quite so much. I am not sure if that was the right thing to do, but it seemed to work. One thing to note, though, is that the rightmost header pipe of my Yoshi exhaust is what touches down, not the right peg. Maybe getting my fat butt further back on the seat might help, but it's such a rare occurrence that I'm not too worried about it.

You were right. The CB1100 is very sensitive to front ride height and spring preload. I went through many rides before I finally got the front end to work with the new Ikon-Koni shocks.

Or me.

rotor, believe me, as I stood there trying to frame those pics on my camera, I was flipping my phone back and forth. I ended up going with the vertical aspect because it was the only way to get the full scope of the trees, without pulling back too far and minimizing the bike. In particular, the shot with the Reading Tree kept including too many other things when I tried holding the camera horizontally.

Normally, though, you're absolutely correct.

Ulvetanna, the only explanation I could come up with as to why nothing ever touched down echoes what you're saying about the importance of a properly dialed chassis and overall setup. I've had other bikes with greater ground clearance scrape pegs, centerstands, exhausts, whatever, and it usually occurs when the bike unweights itself and comes back down too quickly in response to a sudden dip in the road, or in an off-camber corner riddled with bumps. Too little rebound damping is often the culprit, or the bike pitches back and forth as a result of choppy throttle response.

It was the utter absence of these factors that I first noticed during the initial bumpy section in the foothills, and was cemented for me on Mosquito Ridge. So many times I would physically and mentally prepare myself for the jolt or rough patch that I'm accustomed to having to ride through, but with this CB there was no need. Nothing ever upset the chassis. Rolling on and off the throttle creates no chassis pitch whatsoever, because there is no drive lash or abruptness from the fueling. In terms of the suspension, most bumps simply become non-bumps. No matter what I threw at her, her chassis remained level and unflustered, her forward momentum resolute.

It was the opposite of the usual racy feeling one experiences from something like a Street Triple, in which you're constantly on and off the throttle, shifting gears, braking hard, throwing the bike around.

You know...sport riding.

With the CB there was none of that. I simply left it in third gear and rolled on and off the throttle. Rather than a sudden slowing followed by a massive rush of acceleration, there was almost no engine braking or big hits of power, so the speed remained relatively constant. It was like riding a monorail, rather than driving a go-kart. When I did snick down to second gear to bring the revs up into the 5-7K range, it was more of the same, the only differences being the higher-pitched engine note and increased acceleration.

It's the seamless integration of each system working together to create a perfectly balanced package. The bike simply never strays from its appointed path, and without those sudden oscillations to upset the chassis the relative lack of ground clearance ceases to be an issue.

All I can think from watching the bike scrape in so many videos is that those guys are intentionally trying to make it scrape. They're doing something in their riding to upset the balance of the chassis.

Either that, or, yep, I just suck.

last week i took a round with my 17model..well....i have still factory setting...i scratch sometimes with the footpeg in littel curves that goes mountain up/down in such situation is the ground closer...supplement too with bumps....here in my place i have any such kind (wonderful) lanes

but just the suspension from the17 model is realy much better in relation to the DLX (or just older models)....ooor the DLX i use now if i like a realy slow smooth easy going sunday sunnyafternoon ride smileeee...

last week i took a round with my 17model..well....i have still factory setting...i scratch sometimes with the footpeg in littel curves that goes mountain up/down in such situation is the ground closer...supplement too with bumps....here in my place i have any such kind (wonderful) lanes

but just the suspension from the17 model is realy much better in relation to the DLX (or just older models) Hello Alprider! 2017 is an entirely new creation, a whole new generation of CB1100.

Maybe someone more "pedantic" can start comparing part numbers, but the frame and swingarm are different, and we already know the wheels and suspension components are also all-new and improved. As are the lights, seat (from what I hear, anyway) and so on.

dont worried i know it very good although I drove only 1200 km so far until now with my yellow bee...(and over 10000 with my blue DLX )

my 2 darlings..........




[attachment=7518]

Where do you live to get access to that blue one?

[Guth_imp]

The CB1100 engine has been this way since day one.

Except for the new-for-'17 shortened inlets and altered timing of the first two cylinders.

Except for the new-for-'17 shortened inlets and altered timing of the first two cylinders. OK, that’s news to me. In what way did they alter the timing compared to the previously altered timing?


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[Lord Popgun]

The shortened inlets I get. But the cams for the ‘13 and ‘17 are the same part number. So Guth’s question would be mine also.

[VLJ_imp]

Guth, I'm no engineer, so I couldn't tell you how they altered the timing, but in their press releases and interviews Honda's engineers boasted that the timing of cylinders one and two were revised for the '17 motor in order to create a lumpier feel at low RPM, along with a more characterful tone. This new tone is clearly heard in any of the side-by-side comparison demonstrations, and with the revised, shorter exhaust system the sound is definitely deeper and snarlier.

My bike absolutely sounds and feels different from Eric's '14 Standard. It sounds louder, deeper, and meaner, and you can feel the individual pulses more distinctly. It's almost like a V4 now. Call it halfway between a normal I4 and a V4.

I don't know what the goal (or net result) was in shortening the inlet tracts, but that was the other stated change to the '17 motor.

[the Ferret]

VLJ can you provide a link. I have been google searching for that info and can't find it. Only about the different length intake tracts and the slimmer shorter mufflers.

[Lord Popgun]

The reviews I can find online say it has revised valve timing on 2 cylinders. Not believing that as the cam part numbers are the same for ‘13 and ‘17. And like guth says we’ve always had that valve timing thing on 2 cylinders.

Maybe the shorter intake and revised mufflers have something to do with it. They did change them for “better” sound.

[Flytech99_imp]

We did have very nice weather yesterday. It was absolutely beautiful up in the mountains.

I should have hit up Eric to join me.

mickey, why do you suppose Honda increased the interval? Was it merely in response to all the internet criticism of such a short interval on a modern bike, or do you think the changes they made to the motor for the '17 EX and RS gave them the confidence to extend the interval?

I've seen similar behavior from auto manufacturers in terms of increasing maintenance intervals and things like towing/payload capacity without any real mechanical upgrades. Could be a bit of increased confidence from Honda or purely a marketing ploy.

Even with a modest change in timing or intake length (for aural reasons), I don't see that impacting valve alignment. It's not like they knocked the power back 20% to under-stress it even more.

[VLJ_imp]

popgun, I don't think the shorter inlet tracts and exhaust would account for the different feel of the motor, which the '17 certainly has, compared to the '14. Rev the throttle, and the '14 has the typical ziiiiing...ziiiiing...ziiiing zero-vibration feel of just about every I-4 Honda has ever made. Rev the '17's throttle and there is a distinctive, unevenly-spaced pulsing that you can feel throughout the bike. It's along the lines of an inline Triple or V4, with a similar sort of additional texture.

Although I don't know how they achieved it, this additional texture is exactly what Honda said they gave the '17 motor by changing the timing on the first two cylinders.

mickey, this video has been posted here before...

[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNOCYoK-GDo&t=173s]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNOCYoK-GDo&t=173s

...which shows the two models being fired up side by side, and you can clearly hear the different engine note of the '17 model. It's not as smooth as the previous-gen motor. I've seen a better video of this same presentation by Honda, in which they go into greater depth with the sound comparison, but I can't locate it at the moment.